Nightmares
by Amaryllis3121
Summary: Poor Amy has a nightmare and the Doctor comes to comfort her.


_Yeah, I don't know about this, but here it is anyways. It seems a little off to me, but then again, it's my first Doctor Who fanfic, so..._

_Enjoy :)._

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><p>The Doctor darted about his console manically, pressing and pulling and twiddling all the various dials, levers and buttons. It had been second nature to him for so long now- he just knew what to do. The problem was, now they were in flight, there wasn't a whole lot of flying involved. In fact, the majority of what he was pressing didn't even do anything.<p>

And then a sound shocked him and he froze, dread settling in his stomach like a stone.

It was a sob.

Slowly, the Doctor looked up to find the monitor above the console had flickered to life, showing a very disturbing image indeed.

Amy was crying.

"Oh, Pond..." he said softly, drawing closer, hardly daring to breathe. Without even meaning to, he noted she was sat on the edge of her bed. A light snoring told him Rory was asleep in the bunk above.

He knew he should comfort her. It should have been his first instinct- to take off down the corridor and scoop her into a hug, but for some reason, he held his place, silently spying. He was almost mesmerised by the image.

It wasn't the first time he had seen her cry. Oh no, there had been so many instances. All of them caused by him, he realised guiltily. But there was something different about this time.

There was no cause. A million possibilities raced through the Doctor's mind, the most alarming being depression, until he settled on one that seemed most likely.

And then he dismissed it as too ridiculous.

Amy gave another sob, heartbreakingly miserable, and the Doctor's train of thought was broken. He chastised himself for spying and took off toward the stairs, taking them three at a time in great, energetic leaps.

In no time at all, he was outside her door. The TARDIS had helpfully rearranged its corridors so he would get there all the sooner.

There was a moment of hesitation before he revealed himself in the open doorway, but as his friend broke down before him, he could wait no longer.

"Amy?" he asked tentatively, stepping into view. Immediately, Amy tried to hide her tissue and wiped her eyes.

"Oh, I was just-"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just... I had a nightmare." She tried to laugh it off, but the Doctor could see the fear, the upset beneath the facade. Whatever it was had deeply unnerved her.

"A nightmare?" he scoffed, hiding how unsettled _he_ was. "Amelia Pond, scared of a silly old nightmare?"

Slowly, the Doctor stepped into her room. It felt wrong, taboo. He had always stayed out of Amy and Rory's room- even he wouldn't cross the unspoken boundary. But this was a special circumstance. His Amelia needed him. He could see her now, in Amy's eyes. The little seven-year-old who was scared of the crack in her wall. Who, fourteen years on, could still be terrified by a 'silly old nightmare'.

Cautiously, he sat beside Amy and pulled her into an awkward embrace, well aware of Rory, only a few feet away, sleeping peacefully.

Almost immediately, he felt Amy relax. The crying stopped as if by magic. His presence eased her, he realised. Her blind faith in him gave her a sense of security whenever he was around.

A dreadful wave of guilt washed over the Doctor, leaving a terrible, bitter taste behind.

"I know, I'm just being silly," Amy mumbled into his shoulder, oblivious. "Nightmares aren't real."

"Nightmares aren't real," the Doctor echoed. "That's right."

Rory shifted in his sleep, mumbling something about 'more jelly'. The Doctor almost laughed at the comical statement, but somehow it just didn't feel right.

"Do you have nightmares?" Amy wondered suddenly. It had been an innocent enough question, but the Doctor pulled away from her all the same and reguarded her searchingly.

"Why do you think I don't sleep?" he replied slowly. The words came out tinged with sadness, which he hadn't intended, but Amy seemed to understand and looked away, awkwardly. To break the tension, the Doctor sprung to his feet. "Get some sleep, Pond. I'll expect to see you bright and early in the morning for some top-class monster hunting."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Amy gave a mock salute and lay back with an easy smile. If she was surprised by the change of attitude, she didn't show it. The Doctor watched her as she settled, once again caught up in thought. When she was comfortable, she looked back at the doorway, puzzled to find the Doctor still there. Hastily, he raised a hand in a half-wave and attempted a smile that came out as more of a grimace before hurrying off, back down the corridor.

It took him a while to get back to the console room since the TARDIS seemed to have shifted back to its original state. Instantly, he saw on the monitor that Amy was already sleeping again, this time soundly, with a big smile on her face. He suspected she was dreaming of monsters and villains and a Doctor who always protected her, saved her in the nick of time.

And how disappointed she would be, the Doctor thought grimly, when he let her down yet again. Amelia Pond, the girl who waited. He just couldn't get it right.

Sickened, the Doctor turned of the monitor, unable to look at Amy's face any longer.

When was it going to end?

It wasn't, he realised. Not on its own. Not without serious consequences.

Slowly, he pulled one final lever and sat down to watch the TARDIS contine its flight single-handedly.

He had to stop it himself.

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><p><em>So whaddaya think? I tried, I really did. But the Doctor's just so... angsty, you know? It's difficult to capture. Anyways, hope you liked it :):).<em>

_-Ammie x._


End file.
